Thursday, November 10, 2011

What They’re Saying about Some Films We'll Be Showing

STALKED (Friday evening, 11/11):  Brian Morton, of Rogue Cinema, writes that “We've all seen the movies where some poor young, vulnerable woman is relentlessly stalked by a masked stranger.  Well, a new movie by Matthew Irving, Stalked, takes that premise in such a new direction that I don't know if I can tell you much about it without ruining the experience for you...but I'll try.” 

Morton gives the film his highest rating, “simply for the ending...if nothing else were good about this movie, that would earn it a great review...but it's not, everything about this short is amazing, it looks great, the acting is top notch and it's just a great short film overall!”


KISS (Saturday afternoon, 11/12):  This is the story of a naive young man who hires a lively prostitute to learn how to kiss.  As their love for one another grows, the reality of their different lives threatens to come between them.  "I wanted to do something that would challenge me in every aspect of filmmaking," says Justin Zagri, the film’s writer and director.  "I chose a controversial subject with a story that is difficult to tell in a genre I never thought I would be involved in."

The creator and director of the Action on Film Festival, Del Weston, says, "I love this film. The thought of new love mixed with jaded obsession and turned on its head by Justin makes for a beautiful film that questions everything we know about our first kiss."


HOLD THE MAYO (Saturday evening, 11/12):  In Jeffrey Williams’ short film, a beleaguered sandwich store clerk's bad day gets worse when a customer returns to prove the adage, The Customer is Always Right.  In this case, horribly, horribly, right.  Mark L. Miller, of Ain’t It Cool News, writes that this “is definitely one of those devious little films that outshine a lot of the dull full length horrors out there… This little short deserves an audience!"  Ajay Singh, of the Eagle Rock Patch, writes that "lurking beneath the plain violence is a mocking—and to many, shocking—humor of Hitchcockian proportions."

But Jeffrey’s personal favorite quote, sort of a badge of honor for this genre, is from a rejection letter from another film festival:  "The graphic scenes of violence and cannibalism may be too gruesome for all but the staunchest of horror fans.  The editing, however, was strong, as was the camera work."

LEGACY (Sunday afternoon, 11/13):  This is a short film about a young man being released from prison after twenty years, and being forced to confront the person who set him up...his own brother.  Jessica Ordoñez, the film’s director, describes it as “a modern-day Cain and Abel story about two brothers, betrayal and redemption.”

The film is a manifestation of her personal philosophy about filmmaking:  “I want to make films that will lift my audience up and make them realize the miracle of life; films that show a view of compassion, faith and understanding.  I am very persistent and passionate about which path I choose to follow. For me, film is one of the basic forms of storytelling; it merges the audience with a vision, a world designed inside the head of the director.”

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Edited by James Latham
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